Devil May Cry 3 Fanfic
by Culaki
Summary: This is one that I have been working on for about three days, I hope you enjoy it!


**DMC3 Fan-Fic**

The day was growing short. The shadows around the edge of the courtyard lengthened, as the sun began to set in the east. The large, dark blanket of twilight began to cover the land. Mountains sighed, and retreated into the shadows, ready to sleep before beginning anew the next day. Grass rustled in the breeze, blowing along like the arms of thousands of people.

The rain started to pour, flooding the pond in the courtyard and splashing water over the edge, soaking the concrete ground. Soon the torrent of water came down in a frenzy, sloshing and sheeting down like the tears of a god. Dante stood in the midst of the courtyard, his hands on Ebony and Ivory, his two hand-made guns. With Rebellion, the memento of his father, across his back, he knelt on the ground, and sighed. Water sheeted down, drenching his hair and running small rivulets off of his red overcoat. His mud-green pants and black army boots were glossy and shining.

Dante stood from his kneeling position, water sheeting off of him and splashing the ground. His greenish-blue eyes scanned the courtyard, and then he heard a screech. He spun around toward the sound, and whipped out Ebony and Ivory, pointing them ahead into the darkness. Just then, a Pride Hell came out of the shadow, screaming and wielding its long sickle-shaped blade. Dante riddled it with bullets, planted his foot on its corpse, and began to shoot. The bullets flying out of his gun like so many angry bees peppered the ground, sand flying out of the Hell like a wind in the desert. After he emptied his bullets into the Hell, he gave a mighty kick, sending dust and tatters of black robe flying. "Damned Prides," he muttered to himself, blowing off the smoking barrels of his handguns, and setting them back at his sides.

Just as he turned to walk away, he heard a scream and a shuffling as something appeared behind him. Dante looked at the Beowulf gauntlet on his hand, and turned around. He shot forward with the speed of a bullet, catching the Hell Vanguard in the cross-guard on his sickle, and drew his fist back for an uppercut. Dante cried out, "Take this!", as he hit the Vanguard in the chin, propelling it upward in three smooth strokes. As he pulled his leg back for a power kick, he began a series of rapid-fire spin kicks, and the blows that landed on the Vanguard knocked the sickle out of his hands, and as Dante gave him a smashing blow with is two fists, he cried, "You're grounded!" The Vanguard hit the ground and disintegrated into a pile of dust, the sickle shattering into dark fragments blown away by the wind.

Vergil looked up from the book he was poring over. "Dante…" he whispered, the one word floating through the air and echoing down the study room from the chair he was sitting in. He sat up, gripping the leather arms of the chair, his thin, white fingers leaving creases in the red, glossy leather. As he got up to leave, Arkham walked into the room, his scarred face creased over in a mixture of satisfaction and concern.

"Master Vergil," said Arkham, looking at him from the middle of the study room.

"Yes, Arkham?" asked Vergil. "I trust everything is proceeding as well?"

"Of course, Master Vergil," said Arkham. "I just came to tell you that the Temen-Ni-Gru is functioning…rather strangely, if you will. Normally, the pillar in the middle would rise to the Demonic Realm after the amulet and the blood of a Son of Sparda. But now, it is not reacting, even with your amulet and blood in the keyslot. The water is still red; the key is still glowing, as are the markings around it."

Vergil gasped. "It's…It's not working?!" His grip stretched the worn leather of the chair. "What do you mean, Arkham?" Vergil's eyes began to narrow in anger.

"Well," began Arkham, but Vergil cut him off.

"Well nothing!" screamed Vergil. He leapt up, standing in front of Arkham. He clicked the hilt of Yamato an inch out of the sheath at its side, and watched in satisfaction as Arkham's face turned to shock.

"You wouldn't…" he said.

"Oh yes I would, my dear friend," said Vergil, circling around Arkham, Yamato drawn. Arkham noticed the glowing of the sword's deadly sharp edge glittering in the firelight. "You will find a way to activate the Temen-Ni-Gru, or else…" Arkham flinched forward as he felt the sharp end of Yamato at the base of his scalp. "Are we clear?" asked Vergil, his voice glinting dangerously.

"Of course, Master Vergil," said Arkham, walking toward the door, his small, red book in hand.

"Good," said Vergil, now back at his desk, sitting in his chair. "Very good, indeed, Arkham," he said, looking forward into the firelight.

"It's Dante again, isn't it?" asked Arkham, and knew it was when he saw Vergil's face tighten up.

"Yes," said Vergil, his tone a mixture of anger and sadness. "I sensed a flare of power, and it had the feel of a Son of Sparda. So, I know it is Dante…he is plotting when to face me again, I know, so I have to be ready. Leave me, please, Arkham," said Vergil, calmly. "I must prepare for the moment that Dante arrives, which should be soon."

"As you wish, Master Vergil. I will let you know if anything comes up," said Arkham, walking out of the room.

"As well, friend…" muttered Vergil as the door closed behind him. As it closed, and Arkham's footsteps disappeared down the hallway, Vergil turned to face the window. He felt the power building inside him, the familiar bloodlust of Devil Trigger taking hold of him. He reared his power back, however, as he would need to save it for Dante. "Might as well give him a tracker…" said Vergil, smiling. He flared into Corrupt Vergil, with his wings straight back at his sides and the horns coming out of his head curved at an angle. The dark blue flames reared across his body as he spread in an X-pose, flaring the fire out to lick at the walls, the fire in the hearth, and the ceiling. Light bulbs burst, raining glass upon him as he flared his power to maximum. The glass showering down hit the ground as liquid, as the intense heat from Vergil's body melted it on impact with his Devil Trigger. He reared the power back to normal, his body taking on the form of normal Vergil, and clicked Yamato out of its sheath. Yamato began to glow a dark blue color, and lightning flared around the sheath as Vergil settled in the back of the room, blending into the shadows, knees bent at the ready. When Dante arrived, he would give him a nice little surprise…

Dante felt the flare of power as soon as it happened. As he stood on the edge of the rooftop, Rebellion at his side, he leapt into the night. Gathering speed, he ran down the side of the next building he hit, and leapt into the air at least a hundred feet. As the wind blew past him, soaring over the rooftops, he performed a second jump, pushing him even further into the air. As he flew around the night, the moon shining on his flapping red overcoat, he gathered his energy, and shot forward into the air, propelling him at twice the speed he was now to the east, toward the flare.

As Dante alighted on the rooftop where he was sure Vergil was at, he leaned down over the edge, hanging over so he could see into the window. Glass was all over the carpet, hard and shiny, melted and glossy, and the room was half-lit. Most of the bulbs had burst, leading Dante to believe that Vergil had flared to maximum. _He's already achieved max Devil Form?_ thought Dante. _That's crazy! Oh well, I guess I just have to be careful when fighting him…_Dante smiled as he thought of the fight that was now posed before him. He leapt into the window, shattering the glass and rolling as he hit the ground. His speed from the impact carried the shattered glass farther than him, peppering the wall behind him. The shadows of the vases on the wall seemed strange to Dante, as did the fact that he heard only half of the glass fragments pepper the wall. _What the hell?_ thought Dante, glancing toward the back of the room. He thought he saw a faint bit of movement…

_Oh, shit…_thought Dante as he heard the click of a sword. He jumped into the air just as a giant energy ball hit below his boots, slicing off the faintest bit of leather. He alighted on the shelf above the fireplace, cracking and shattering china as he landed. "I know you're here, Vergil!" he called into the shadows. "Just give it up and come out, so I can fight you!" Dante thought he heard a movement, and a series of twenty rapid clicks, and he realized he was right as the _ga-shween_ of an energy ball came right in front of his face. He ran along the ledge, dodging the attacks as they came behind him, and jumping over the ones at his feet. After the last one was over, he jumped of the ledge, and rolled upon impacting the middle of the carpet. _Just in time…_thought Dante, smiling, as Vergil charged out of the shadows, performing a running slash, the cuts and flashes echoing behind him. Dante got up, and whipped out Ebony & Ivory, pointing them at Vergil's back. "Don't move!" he called from behind him.

"Dante…" said Vergil, spinning to look at him while he taunted. "Give me your amulet," he said, looking Dante in the eyes.

"Never!" said Dante. "No matter how much power you have, you're never gonna be as good as Dad!" at the mention of that, Vergil's face tightened, and he yelled back.

"What do you know of power?!" said Vergil. "You can't even protect yourself!"

"Eat lead, you dust-sucking scumbag!" shouted Dante, firing off at least fifty shots into Vergil. Vergil spun Yamato around, catching them in his sword, and laid them neatly on the ground, smacking them back at Dante with twice the force.

Dante went into Devil Trigger as soon as Vergil struck the bullets. They peppered his body, knocking themselves into dust on impact with his Devil Armor.

"I see a Devil has awakened inside you as well," said Vergil, going into Corrupt Vergil. He launched himself at Dante, locking swords with him, Rebellion against Yamato, as Dante kicked forward with his foot. Vergil fell back, and yelled at Dante.

"Let the final battle begin, brother!" he shouted, launching himself at Dante, and Dante pulled on the flash greaves and gloves of Beowulf, getting into a ready pose. As Vergil lashed out with Yamato, Dante caught the blade with his glove, and punched forward with an uppercut, catching Vergil in the chin.

Vergil cried out as he hit the ground, Yamato sticking beside him. As he rolled over to avoid Dante's falling kick from above, he grabbed Yamato, spinning to his feet, and slashed three times in rapid succession. Dante rolled to avoid the first, blocked the second one with Rebellion, and grunted as the third one sliced across his arm, leaving a cut from the elbow to the wrist.

"Getting slower now, are we brother?" said Vergil, the ghost of a smile twitching at his face.

"Shut up!" said Dante, spinning Rebellion and dragging it across the ground, sparks flaring as he ran toward Vergil. Vergil held Yamato at arms length, running towards Dante. As they neared, Dante suddenly leaped into the air, coming down towards Vergil with Rebellion out from his body at an angle. As Vergil drew Yamato up to block, Dante pulled Rebellion in, landed with his boots on Yamato, and stabbed downward.

Vergil gasped as the sword stabbed through his body, biting through his sternum, missing his heart by inches, and crunching out through the bottom of his back. He coughed, spraying blood onto Dante's boots, and screamed out as Dante planted his boot on Vergil's face and pushed. Dante jumped off as Vergil hit the ground, but he landed on Rebellion as he did, driving the sword further into Vergil's body and sticking him into the ground. "Damn…you!" cried Vergil as he watched his lifeblood pour out onto the carpet of the floor. "I…was…going…to…achieve…power!" he cried again, coughing and spraying blood onto his chest. "But you…had to use…that…damn…cheap shot!" Vergil looked up at Dante once again, and his eyes began to darken. Slowly, he began to rise, his legs slipping on his dark blood.

Dante watched Vergil rise, his eyes a mix of fear and anticipation. He watched Vergil get almost to the hilt of Rebellion, and slip back down. "Damn it!" swore Vergil, beginning to get red at his efforts to climb off of the sword and his frustration. Suddenly, Vergil began to glow blue, sending crackling electricity up the hilt and sword of Rebellion. Then, he busted into Devil Trigger, the waves of energy sent off of him shooting Rebellion up to the ceiling, where it stayed embedded with a _chink!_

Dante watched Rebellion hit the ceiling, and looked at Vergil as he rose up from the ground, eyeing him darkly. His eyes began to glow almost red, and the horns sticking out of his head curved upward, crackling with energy. "It's about time," said Dante, whipping out Ebony & Ivory and spinning them around, taunting Vergil. "I was beginning to wonder if you ever were going to go back into DT!" he said, grinning fiercely in spite of his cut arm.

"You shut up! I control this game, and I will kill you!" said Vergil, his whole body shaking violently. "Once I steal your amulet, I will have the key to the Temen-Ni-Gru!"

At this, Dante's eyes began to narrow. "So that's what you want my amulet for, bro!" said Dante, holding the amulet dangling from his chest. "Well, you ain't gonna get it, that's for sure!" he said, tucking it in his shirt and slipping out the Cerberus nunchaku from the back of his overcoat. He twirled them around his hands, slipping one hand through the ring in the center to spin all three ice-blue handles simultaneously.

"Where did you get those?!" exclaimed Vergil, his eyes widening. "You didn't…"

"I did," said Dante, chuckling. "I stuck it to that frozen bastard and kicked his ass to kingdom come!" he spun the nunchaku again, and grinned. "Never leave home without these babies! Time to party, Vergil!" with that, Dante launched himself across the room, and stopped before Vergil. He stabbed Cerberus into the ground, sending up a flurry of ice spikes. Vergil jumped into the air, dodging those, and then slammed downward with the hilt of Yamato, hoping to catch Dante off guard.

As Dante finished pulling Cerberus out of the ground, he saw Vergil flying toward him. "Chew on this!" he cried, slamming the nunchaku into the ground. A casing of ice engulfed him, and spikes jammed out all over the dome. He grinned as he heard a scream of pain, and then as the ice spikes shattered, saw Vergil standing at the end of the carpet, blood dripping from a gaping hole in his arm. Combined with the blood still spurting from his chest, they formed a large, dark pool on the ground, soaking into the lip of the white carpet, staining it crimson.

As Dante readied back to strike again, Vergil summoned his dark powers, and sent a sword flying at Dante. Dante jumped out of the way, landed on top of the sword, and used it to boost himself toward the ceiling. He threw Cerberus up, and hit the ground rolling, launching himself at Vergil while punching with Beowulf. There was a flash as the gauntlet connected to Vergil's chest, knocking him back. As Vergil charged Dante a second time, Dante punched again, this time knocking Yamato out of Vergil's hand. There was a flash, then a scream of pain, and when the light cleared, Vergil looked down to see the blade of Rebellion sticking into his chest.

Dante looked Vergil square in the eyes, driving Rebellion deeper through Vergil's body. "How does it feel, brother?" asked Dante, grinning. "So you say I can't protect myself? How about this!" with those words, Dante drove Rebellion up to the hilt into Vergil, and then ripped the sword out. Vergil's back was thrown forward, his chest thrust out, with the force of the pull.

"Agh!" he said, staggering back. The hole in his arm and the cuts on his chest had already begun to heal. Dante gasped. _What the hell? He can heal himself?_ he thought. _Well…this fight's gonna get a hell of a lot more difficult…_ Dante looked toward the window, squinting. He thought he could make out the faint outline of something coming toward them at high speed. He wasn't sure, however. _Better keep my back facing away from the window, so I can see if anything comes…_

Mary raced forward on her motorcycle, the jet engines on the back revving flames as she raced through the narrow streets. "Get ready," she muttered to herself, her white button-up overcoat flapping in the breeze. As she rode on, she thought about what she was going to do when she found him. _He won't escape me this time…not after what he did to mother…_ Mary's eyes blurred with tears as she recalled the scenario. _Oh god,_ she thought. _Please, god, no, don't let me relive this again. Please, oh Jesus, help me…_

The room was dark, and light shone through in thin little slits from the closed window shades. The light in the room reflected off of a man standing, alone. He held a knife in his hand, tossing it back and forth. Eventually, he set it on a small polished table, wringing his hands back and forth. "Kalina…" he said to himself. "Oh, god, what have I done? What will Mary think?" his eyes widened with panic as he asked himself this. Just then, Mary burst into the door. Light shone through and illuminated her dark frame, stiff as a statue as her golden-yellow eyes took in the scene.

Mary gasped as she looked at her father. Arkham stood in the middle of the room, silhouetted darkly against the back wall. Mary reached for the light switch, and flicked it on. "Oh…my…god…Oh my god!" she said. "What did you do to Mother!?" she snarled, her voice becoming dangerously sharp. Her eyes darted to the knife, and then her mother's bloodstained body, lying on the floor next to a drain. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized that the drain she was staring at lead down to her father's basement study, to a pipe with a spigot at the end of it. _He wouldn't…_ she thought, then realized that her father would, as nothing could get in the way of his experiments. _What kind of sick bastard is this man?! Is he even my father?!_

"Now, Mary…" began Arkham, but he was cut off by a clicking sound.

"Shut up!" she screamed, pointing her .44 at him. "Why did you do this?! Why did it have to be mother?!"

"An insolent child like you wouldn't understand!" he spat at her. "I am going to have power equal to a god! Even the heroic Sparda sacrificed a woman so that he could become a legend! I won't explain it to you, you wouldn't understand!" his grip tightened on his small red book as he said the last sentence.

"What I want you to explain," she said, her grip tightening on the trigger. "Is why you did this!? You have twenty seconds before I blow you into oblivion!" she clicked her gun, emphasizing her point.

"Would you now?" said Arkham, a smile stretching his face, his eyes glinting with touches of insanity. "Would you shoot your own father!? Could you do it, Mary?!" he looked her in the eyes, and saw the hurt, the confusion there. He knew that she might be pushed enough to shoot him, but he had to bluff her. "I need you, honey," he said, his voice hypnotic. Mary blinked, confused.

"You…you shut up!" she said, blinking again.

"I need your help, dear, to move on from this mess and start anew. We can be gods together when we rule this pathetic planet, all I need is your help." his eyes pleaded with her, piercing, but she resisted.

"I won't fall for it this time, father!" she said. "I'm sorry I had to do this…" her hand tightened on the trigger.

Arkham leapt out of the window above her with the speed of lightning as she pulled the trigger. The bullet thudded into the wall, leaving a large hole. Glass fragments rained down upon Mary, showering her, some of them lacerating her skin. She gasped, and covered her eyes from them. As the glass and dust cleared, she ran out of the room, pausing only to look one last time at her mother. _Don't worry, Mom,_ she thought. _I'll get that bastard, and make him pay for what he did to you. _With that, she turned, leaping onto her motorcycle, and gunned the engine. Flames leapt out of the back of the muffler as she took off down the road, tears streaming down her face.

Mary had a goal to fulfill. As she raced down the streets of the alleyway, she realized that it had just become more difficult. She knew the first place to start, as she had felt the presence of them once the flare had happened. Call it a seventh sense, but she knew what she had to do. She kicked the ignition to full on her bike, blazing down the road.

As she neared the building, scattered sounds reached her from the window. The sound of swords clashing, flashes of light, and the occasional scream. She smiled as she knew that this was the place. She began to run up the small, spiral staircase on the side of one of the buildings, and as she reached the top, stared into the window. The figures were small, as the window was quite far away; however, Mary could clearly discern two of them. One was all red, with lightning crackling around him, and the other was blue, with a large energy field forming around him. They were saying something, but she could not quite make out what they were discussing. It must not have been good, however, as the one in all blue charged at the red one, and then there was a small explosion, blowing both of them to the corners of the room. Mary took this time to act. She pulled her rocket launcher off of her back. She rubbed the inscription near the hand guard, Kalina Ann, her mother's beautiful name. She aimed Kalina Ann at the window where the two figures were. _I'm not sure if I can hit them…_ she thought. _They are demons after all. I mean, at least I think they are…_ She gritted her teeth, fine-tuned her sights on them, and fired. The rocket burst forth from the tube at incredibly high speeds, exploding just as it hit near the two figures. The whole room filled up with a huge ball of fire, which licked outside of the window, feeding off of the oxygen from it, and getting even hotter.

The window and surrounding brickwork collapsed, and the fire still burned. Then, Mary heard a sound, like something being thrust into the ground quickly, and a huge ball of ice spikes filled the room, steam pouring out of the gaping hole as the ice was melted. It quickly renewed itself, however, and the fire was soon quenched. Mary leapt out of the red figure's line of vision, and landed on the rooftop of the building. She got her two handguns ready, and then leaned over, bracing herself to swing in the window. Just as she leapt, she dug Kalina Ann into the brickwork, bringing her to a halt instantly. She swung on the rocket launcher for a few spins, braced herself, and then leapt into the window.

As Dante and Vergil had collided, the Devil Trigger energy had gathered, forming a small flux ball in between them, thus exploding, propelling them to the corners of the room. Dante grunted as he hit the wall, landing on his knees. Dust and debris rained onto him from above. He got up, shaking himself off, and then looked at Vergil.

Vergil was already up as Dante had hit the wall. He held his hand on Yamato, waiting. "Well, brother?" he said, looking at Dante getting up. "You going to attack, or what?"

"Just gimme a minute, Vergil," said Dante, chuckling. He set his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. "Some sibling rivalry, huh?" he said.

"Yeah," said Vergil. "Some rivalry. You know, Dante, once you give me the amulet, things will get much easier, and I promise to kill you quickly, so you won't feel it."

"Bullshit, bro," said Dante, laughing. "You'd probably lock me in a torture pit with Hells and no way to defend myself. Hell, you'd probably have that psycho bastard Arkham devise a potion to destroy my Devil Trigger."

"As nice as that sounds, a promise is a promise, Dante," said Vergil, beginning to step forward.

"I've had just about enough of you!" said Dante, brandishing Rebellion. "Let's finish this, Vergil!" he said, running forward while dragging Rebellion behind him.

"As you wish!" said Vergil, pulling Yamato you and running with it out at arms length.

As Dante and Vergil got close, they locked swords, struggling. Vergil transformed, Corrupt Vergil struggling as he gained the upper hand. Dante grunted, and planted his feet in the floor, still advancing step by step. Vergil began to glow, and as Dante realized what was happening, a smile crossed Vergil's face.

"Oh, sh-", began Dante, but then the Devil Trigger energy that Vergil built up exploded, blowing him and Dante back once again. Dante caught himself, leveling out on the wall as he hit, knees bent. Vergil did the same. As Dante alighted on one foot, he steadied himself, smiling. "Can't even control you powers, Vergil!" he said, laughing. "What are you gonna do when you have the powers of me and others as well?!"

"I'll find a way to control that brother," said Vergil, leaping into the air. "You just worry about yourself?!"

Dante rolled out of the way of Vergil's spinning sword strike, letting Yamato bury itself in the floor. He lashed out with Cerberus, catching Vergil in the side. Vergil cried out as the sharp end of the ice-barbed nunchaku cut into his skin, leaving a ragged line down his side. He spun on the ball of his heel, catching Dante in the throat with Yamato's hilt. Dante flew backwards, landing on his back. Vergil jumped up to finish a stab, but Dante threw Cerberus, hitting Vergil in the arm with which he held Yamato, throwing his aim off. Vergil tried to gain control of it, but it hit the ground, embedding itself in the carpet a few inches from Dante's face. Dante spun on his back, kicking Vergil's feet out from under him, and planted his boot on Vergil's chest. Vergil struggled to get up, but Dante increased the pressure under his foot, and it sank a couple inches. Vergil felt a few things crack, and gasped, trying to breathe.

"Are you gonna be a good little boy, Vergy, and not take my amulet?" asked Dante, taunting him.

"I'll…get…you!" gasped Vergil, sucking in long breaths. Dante grinned, and then pressed again, cracking another rib. Vergil cried out as it pierced his lower back and lungs. The battle was sapping his energy, and he barely had enough to heal his first two ribs. When he was in the process of concentrating his energy for one, the third rib had cracked, scattering the concentration he had gathered.

As Dante began to speak again, he heard a whistling and a blazing sound. Just as he turned to look, a rocket smacked him dead center in his chest. He cried out as the rocket punched through into his body, and shot him across the room to the back end. As he ripped it out and sent it flying to the other wall, he got up to run. As the rocket detonated, it lifted his feet off of the ground, propelling him across to the other side of the room, where Vergil had stood up. As they collided, they both hit the far wall. Dante looked up just in time to see the ball of fire, and he rolled over, stabbing the Cerberus nunchaku into the ground. As the ice wall came up, it began to put out the fire, but great amounts of steam bubbled up from the intense heat. Dante renewed the ice as it melted, oblivious to the hot water falling down in streams and scalding his body and face. He blinked some out of his eye, and renewed the ice again. Finally, the last of the fire went out, the charred walls of Vergil's study room the only thing visible. All of the books were burned husks, and the shelves that had held them had collapsed, sending a cloud of foul black dust into the room. Dante looked up in time to see a cloud of debris from the floor above hit him, and then all went dark.

As Dante came to, he stood up, grunting. His bones cracked as sheets of black dust came off of him, spreading as they hit the floor. The first thing he realized was that Vergil was no longer there. He spun, expecting to be struck from behind. No one appeared. He heard a _chink!_ sound, and whipped out Ebony & Ivory, pointing them at the gaping hole where the window used to be. As he did, a figure whipped into the hole, guns blazing.

Dante leaped toward the window, rolling and dodging to avoid the bullets, and locked his arms crosswise around the figure. She grunted, and looked into his eyes. Golden-yellow locked with greenish-blue, and then everything seemed to stop. Dante was staring into Mary's face, and it seemed so familiar, as if he'd seen her in a dream. He looked her up and down. Her white button up coat was flustered and wrinkled from the wind, and her purple hip-hugger shorts were shiny, almost spandex-like. Her face was a little grimy, and streaked with tears, and in her hands were two guns, one .44 Magnum and a Colt .45.

As Dante looked at her, grinning, he spoke. "What's the matter, girl?" he said. She responded by twisting out of his grip, trying to squeeze a shot at him. He dodged, parrying her shots with Ebony & Ivory. As she tried to shoot him in the head, he shot the .44 out of her hands, grabbing the other as she reached for another gun behind her back.

"Woo!" he said, grinning. "I love a fast woman!"

"Shut up!" she said, trying to hit him with the Kalina Ann. He twisted out of the way of the knife-like blade at the end, catching the launcher.

"Do you have a name?" he shouted, as she fired a rocket.

"I don't care what you call me?!" she shouted, flipping back and firing off several shots from the gun at her back.

"Whatever, Lady!" he replied, hitting each one of her shots in the air with a bullet of his own. Mary grunted as she threw her gun at him. He caught it, flipping it out of reach.

"Where is he?!" she screamed at him.

"What the hell are you talking about, Lady?!" he shouted back. "Where is who?"

"Don't play dumb with me?!" she said. "I know you know where that other Demon is!"

"Who, Vergil?" he replied. "No, not really. After that damn rocket of yours exploded, everything went dark, and when I woke up, he was gone! And I was planning to kill him, but now I have to find him again, thanks to you!"

"Die!" she said, firing another rocket at him.

"Damn it!" said Dante, pulling out Rebellion. He chopped the rocket cleanly in half, then put his sword up, looking at Mary as the two halves detonated on the other side of the room, knocking loose more debris from the floor above it. Dante's red overcoat rippled in the light, and Mary shielded her eyes from the dust that blew out from behind him.

"When are you gonna learn, Lady?!" said Dante, pointing Ivory at her. "You aren't gonna kill me! I'm a son of Sparda!"

"What?" said Mary, looking at him. "What did you say?"

"I said I'm a Son of Sparda, Lady!" said Dante, putting up Ivory and strolling toward her. "You know, the story of the heroic Sparda? I'm his son, and Vergil is my bro. He wants my amulet so he can open up some Temen-something-or-other, I'm not sure what, all I know is that I am extremely pissed, and I want to kick some ass, so run along now.

Mary looked at Dante, as though to say something, and then put Kalina Ann on her back, running through the door at the other end of the room. Dante stood in silent darkness for a minute, shrugged, and then jumped out of the hole, landing on the rooftop fifty feet away. The sun had already set, and the moon was bright.

Just then, a giant rumbling happened across town. Dust spewed up, and chunks of rock fell from a massive monolith erupting from the earth. It had many door-shaped window all across it, and a massive spiral staircase leading up to a top, attached to a giant central column. Spikes and other debris jutted out from the tower as it stopped rising, standing at least a full twenty-five thousand feet tall.

"Jesus…" said Dante. "That's one big tower. No doubt you've got some fun planned for me, right Vergil?!" as he shouted the last word, it echoed down the long alleyway, getting fainter and fainter. Dante took a step toward the edge of the roof, leaped, and took off toward the tower.

Mary ran through the corridors at high speed. _That Vergil person is a Demon also?_ _That complicates things…got to find Arkham though, and put a stop to this crazy experiment…_ Mary's thoughts were interrupted as a man stepped out into the corridor. He was thin, yet muscular, with dark red spiky hair that waved around in the breeze wafting through the corridors. Each of the spikes on the end of his hair was dyed onyx, and his black overcoat and pants made him difficult to see him as he was in the shadow of the wall. He stepped out, and Mary saw his eyes. _Greenish-blue…_ she thought. _Just like that Dante guy…_ as she looked him over, admiring his frame, he spoke. His voice was deep, but had a young, childlike tone to it, and it solemnly rang out in the corridor.

"Who are you?" he said.

"I could ask you the same, stranger," said Mary, putting a hand on one hip. "Name's Mary. How did you come about being here?"

"First off, Mary," he began, stepping forward again to shake her hand. "Name's Gavin, pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," said Mary, shaking his hand firmly. As they met eyes, Mary sensed a feeling of dread and anticipation emanating from Gavin. She stepped back, looking him over. He had a plain, silver-bladed sword at his back, but the hilt caught her eye. It was black and silver, and the hand-hold on it twisted around until the bottom it, where it formed into a skull with hollow, black eyes. "What's the deal with your sword?" asked Mary, eyeing it cautiously.

"Long story," said Gavin, shifting his weight to his left leg. "Don't really feel like explaining it, so you'll just have to wait until later on. Why are you here?" he looked at her cautiously as he spoke.

"Long story, but I can tell you this: I will find Arkham, and he will be sorry that he did what he did to my Mother." Mary's eyes hardened as she spoke her father's name.

"Ah," said Gavin, his eyes hardening also. "I see."

"Well," said Mary, adjusting the strap on Kalina Ann, "I'd better be off." She turned to leave, but as she did, Gavin tackled her to the floor, knocking the handgun off of her back.

"Hey!" she said, startled. "What the hell-"

"Look out!" said Gavin, still on top of her. He grabbed her by the waist, rolling over with her so she ended up on top with her back on his stomach. She blushed at the position, then gasped as a blast of flame in the shape of a sickle hit the ground next to them, blowing out a gust of heat. "Move!" said Gavin again, pulling her to her feet. He was already up, drawing out his sword as he spoke. He twirled it twice, then moved into a defensive position, sword at the ready.

"What the hell is that thing?!" said Mary, already drawing her handgun.

"It's an abyss! A guardian that was vanquished and banished to Hell. It's returned somehow…whoever did this is very powerful, indeed!" Gavin stepped back, readying to charge the Abyss.

The Abyss's body was long and roiling with flames. In its hands it held a sickle made of the same hellish fire that licked across its body. It let out a guttural scream, and the windows in the small corridor shattered as it charged Gavin.

Gavin leapt into the air deftly, dodging the stroke from the abyss, and landed behind it. He spun around, bringing the blade of his sword into the Abyss. It bit deeply into its side, and the Abyss howled, enraged. It grabbed the edge of Gavin's sword, ripping it out and hurtling him to the far side of the room, where he hit the wall and lay still.

"Gavin!" shrieked Mary, shooting at the Abyss. The bullets that sprayed from her gun peppered its body, sending it flying backwards out of the window. Mary took off across the hallway, running toward Gavin. As she got near him, she holstered her .44 and knelt down to him. "Gavin…" she breathed, looking at his still face. He was completely still, his head bleeding from a small place where the wall had cut him.

Just then, the Abyss burst through the wall, knocking scones loose. As the scones fell to the ground, they shattered, spilling oil everywhere. Mary ran forward, past all of the oil, and charged the Abyss. She pulled out her Kalina Ann, firing a rocket as she went. As the rocket hit the Abyss, it exploded, propelling it across the room, where it slid on the oil. There was a hiss, and then a terrifying screech as the oil exploded into flames.

Mary jumped to the top of the hallway, stabbing Kalina Ann into the brickwork to halt herself. She swung once, and then alighted on the top of the launcher, watching the flames spread out below her. The intense heat rose, heating the air and billowing Mary's coat and her brown hair. "Gavin!" she said suddenly, remembering him in the corner with the flames. She spun around, her eyes wide with panic, searching for him. _What if the Abyss took him!_ she thought, tears welling up in her eyes. _But that couldn't happen… I saw it go down…_ Mary turned away, closing her eyes. Tears ran down her face and fell into the flames, steaming little rippling pools in the oil.

"Why the long face, Mary?" said a familiar voice.

"Gavin!" said Mary, looking up. He had his sword stabbed into the wall, kneeling on it much as she had. He was only a few inches from her face, looking into her eyes.

"Don't cry," he said. "If it's any consolation, your hair smells nice," he said, inhaling deeply and smiling.

Mary cracked a smile, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

Gavin repositioned himself on his blade, getting slightly closer to Mary's face. He put a hand on her cheek, wiping away the tear that was forming. Mary blushed, and turned away. "Please…" she said.

"Please what?" he asked, staring at her quizzically.

"I… oh never mind," she said, staring at him.

Gavin looked at Mary for a moment, holding her hand. Then, he moved his face closer to hers, and whispered, "You will find him, Mary." into her ear. As he moved back, he pulled her shoulders closer to him, and brushed his lips against hers. Mary blushed again, and then returned the kiss, holding onto the back of his head. Gavin looked at her once more, and then stared at the floor. The flames raged on, but they were much smaller, and most of the oil was burned up. There were long stretches in the hallway where you could walk without getting touched by the flames.

Mary moved back on Kalina Ann, and pulled it out of the brickwork, landing on the ground. She shouldered her launcher just as Gavin alighted next to her. Her eyes moved to the hilt of his sword, and then she shifted her weight to her other leg.

"Well," said Gavin, touching her shoulder. "I should be getting somewhere. See you later, Mary!" he called into the corridor as he ran off around the corner.

"You too…" said Mary to herself as she heard the closing of a door. She adjusted the strap on Kalina Ann, and then ran down the corridor, jumping over the flames as she went. As she ran, she thought of the torture she was going to inflict upon Arkham when she met him again. Just as she was finished, she heard a rustling sound, and pulled out her .44, looking down the corridor. Just as she clicked the gun, to her utmost surprise, a door dinged, and Arkham stepped out into the hallway.

"Well, well, well, Mary," said Arkham, stepping toward her.

"Stay back!" said Mary, clicking the gun again.

"Mary, dearest Mary…I don't wish to hurt you," said Arkham, stepping forward. "I only wish to help you. Please don't do this!" Arkham reached into his jacket pocket to pull something out. He withdrew a small vial, filled with dark red fluid.

Mary's eyes welled up as she realized what that was. Arkham pulled the stopper off of the vial and inhaled deeply. "Mmm," he said. "That's good."

"Drop it now, you sick bastard!" said Mary, her finger on the trigger. Arkham ignored her, drawing the vial toward his mouth. Mary's eyes burned with hatred at her father as she squeezed the trigger.

The bullet exploded out of the chamber of the gun, shattering the vial to pieces. Arkham cried out in pain as glass shards stabbed into his face and right eye. The blood from the vial flecked his face and neck, and the rest hit the floor, a crimson tidal wave washing across beside Arkham's feet.

"Damn it!" he swore. "That was your mother's lifeblood!" his face twisted in rage, and he turned to face her, eyes smoldering.

"Doesn't matter, father!" she spat. "Mother was already dead. What were you going to do, bring her back to life?!" Mary took a step back, bracing herself.

"As a matter of fact, I was, you insolent fool!" he spat back at her. "There was a way to do that, I just needed to ingest some of the host's blood, and then combined with my own should have made a potion strong enough to resurrect the original host. And now you've ruined it! My greatest work, all in shambles!

"You're a filthy liar!" said Mary, pulling the trigger. The bullet hit Arkham in the shoulder, spraying blood onto the wall. His body jerked back, and then his face twisted into an insane smile. His shoulders began to shake with silent laughter, and then he howled like a demented wolf at the ceiling, the cries of insanity echoing down the corridor.

Arkham's body began to glow as he laughed. Mary pulled Kalina Ann off of her shoulder, firing a rocket at Arkham. He batted it aside with his hand, and it flew out the window, where it exploded violently. The corridor was lit up with orange light as the blast reached the windows of the Temen-Ni-Gru. Mary shielded her eyes, firing another rocket when Arkham turned to look at the blast.

Arkham jerked his hand forward, shooting out a purple beam of energy. It encased the rocket, extinguishing the flame and stopping it in mid-air. Arkham slowly closed his fist, and the rocket began to buckle, white stress lines appearing amid the silver metal. Suddenly, the whole rocket crumpled like tin foil, crashing to the ground as a metal husk. Mary gasped, and then pulled out her Colt .45, emptying a whole clip into Arkham's body.

He laughed as he pushed forward with his hand, throwing her against the wall. She hit it and lay still, pretending to be asleep. As Arkham rushed forward, she shot him in the forehead. He howled, spittle hitting the bottom of his chin, and jerked backwards. Just then, the blade of a sword thrust through his body, making him gurgle oddly. His head lolled to one side, his eyes glazed, and then the sword was pulled out. Arkham's lifeless body dropped, and Mary found herself staring into the face of Gavin.

"Gavin!" she called, running forward and throwing her arms around him. He gave her a quick kiss on the mouth, and then stepped back to look at her.

"Glad to see you too, Mary," he said, smiling sheepishly. He bent down, picking up a small red book out of Arkham's hand. "Aha!" he said triumphantly, holding the book up. "I've been looking for this baby!"

"What is it?" asked Mary, quizzically.

"Can't tell you, it's a secret!" he said, grinning. Just then, an Abyss ran around the corner, facing them. "Oh, crap!" said Gavin, unsheathing his sword and spinning it. "Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse!"

As Gavin said those words, two Pride Hells and a Hell Vanguard appeared next to the Abyss. "Damn it!" said Gavin. "These guys are really getting on my nerves!"

"Mine too!" said Mary, drawing her handguns. "Let's show em' whose boss!"

"You got it, Mary!" said Gavin, charging the Pride Hells. "Take this!" he yelled, leaping into the air and slamming down with his sword. As it stabbed into the ground, shockwaves emanted from it, blowing the Hells to pieces. Gavin used his momentum to carry him into the path of the Vanguard, cutting across its chest. His sword bit into the Vanguard's body, making it howl.

"Nice shot, Gavin!" said Mary, shooting the Abyss with her .45. It howled, flames shooting off of its scythe. Gavin turned around to congratulate her. Mary turned to do the same, and then looked on in horror as the Vanguard stabbed its sickle-blade into Gavin's back. The blade came out of his chest, and he cried out in pain, blood pouring from the wound. As he hit the ground, he gritted his teeth, pushing himself back up.

"Get out of here, Mary!" he yelled, his body beginning to glow golden. Mary felt a tremendous amount of pressure building up inside the room, and she ran to the window, unshouldering Kalina Ann as she went. As she leapt out of the window, she stabbed Kalina Ann into the top of it, swinging to the top.

The explosion rocketed out of the window, lighting up the night in tints of golden-red.

"Gavin!" screamed Mary, tears welling up in her eyes. _First father, and now this?!_ she thought, her shoulders shaking. A single tear landed on the blade of her launcher, splashing down. As Mary readjusted her balance, she heard a terrifying howl and turned to look for the source of a sound. Just as Mary looked up, a flailing Blood-Goyle slammed into her. She screamed, lost her balance, and then tumbled down into the blackness surrounding the Temen-Ni-Gru. Her single tear glinted like a diamond on the blade of Kalina Ann as her cries of terror faded into the night.

Dante stood inside the door of the Temen-Ni-Gru, looking around. As far as the eye could see, giant spiral staircases lead to the top of the tower. _That's where Vergil must be…_ Dante began to run up the stairs, columns flashing by as he picked up speed. As he turned the bend, he noticed a ledge above and behind him. He backflipped, landing on the ledge behind him, and turned to run. A door came up around the bend as he sprinted forward. As he got to the door, he turned to look down. A dizzying drop spiraled up from his height, and he noticed a door with crimson flames twirling around it. He shrugged, going into the door.

Mary hit the ground hard, blood spraying from her mouth as she coughed. Dust was everywhere, staining her face and hair. As she stood, she surveyed her surroundings. _Looks like I fell to the bottom of the tower…_ She shouldered Kalina Ann, running into one of the doors on the bottom. As she entered the room, she heard the sound of running, and looked up to see the red of Dante's cape flash before entering a doorway. Mary ran in the direction of the stairs, reaching the top in a matter of minutes. She caught her breath for a minute, running through the endless corridors. She caught the sound of crashing walls up ahead, and looked to see Dante bursting from a concrete wall on the other side. She ran to the door, sidling the wall so she couldn't be seen, and set her hands on her knees. Catching her breath, she opened the door, and charged into the room.

As Dante entered the room, he heard a sound, like the heavy dropping of sand. He slung Rebellion off of his back, shouldering the corner. Just as he was about to turn the corner, a Sloth Hell flew from the other side of the wall. It hit the adjacent corridor wall, disintegrating into dust. As soon as another Hell hit the wall, Dante spun around the corridor, Ebony & Ivory poised to shoot. He caught sight of a fleeting golden aura vanishing around the corridor, with the sound of swords clashing farther in the distance. Dante took off down the corridor, speeding to catch up with the sound. As he whipped around corners and through long halls, he suddenly realized that he had been steadily going upward, as the incline of the floor had increased greatly. As he kept running down the corridor, he caught sight of the golden aura again, and felt a huge spike of power flash across the building. _What the hell?_ thought Dante, picking up speed again. As he looked up, he realized that he was headed straight for a wall. He looked, seeing the door to his right, and noticed that it lead into the room that the wall he was going to bust through was connected to. He set his shoulder downward, focusing all of his might into the triangular point at the end of his shoulder blade, leaping seconds before impact, slamming through the wall like a bullet through styrofoam.

As Dante busted through the wall, sending chips and slabs of concrete flying, he gasped as he hit the ground, surprised. He had landed in a large, circular chamber that had a circle-shaped platform elevated off of the ground in the center. In the center of the platform, a blue circle of light was there, with many lines arcing from it. And on the platform battling were his brother, Vergil, and a stranger that he had never seen.

Vergil slid backward, his hand on the hilt of Yamato. _Who is this man?_ he thought, taking a step back. _He has a Devil Trigger…yet his power is not like Dante's…It has a different aura to it, more mixed that just pure or dark…_ his thoughts were interrupted as another pair of boots landed on the platform. He spun around, looking at Dante. As he saw Dante, Vergil jumped to the side so that he, Dante, and the intruder were all at points where they could see each other.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Dante yelled at the intruder, pointing Rebellion at him.

"Don't tell me what to do, Demon Boy!" the intruder replied back. "My name is Gavin, and I've come to destroy both of you!" Gavin pointed his sword at Dante and Vergil as he spoke.

Dante and Vergil both stopped. In Gavin's hands was the Force Edge, the memento left for Dante by his father, Sparda. It had been both their plans to get their hands on the sword. Vergil wanted it for the chance to gain ultimate power; Dante, however, wanted it to increase his skills as a swordsman. As Gavin spun Force Edge around, Dante charged him, yelling. Vergil stood back, letting the battle commence. Gavin moved into an offensive position, leaping into the air and coming down quickly. Dante rolled out of the way and cut across Gavin's back, leaving a large gash. Gavin cried out, falling forward. Dante stepped back, facing Gavin as he got up from the ground.

"Why do you have Force Edge?!" demanded Dante, staring at Gavin.

"That's none of your business!" Gavin shouted back.

"Then I'll just pound the information out of you!" yelled Dante, shooting Ebony & Ivory at Gavin.

"Try your best!" Gavin yelled back, standing still. Just as the bullets reached him, he began to glow golden-orange, holding up his hand. The bullets stopped, shooting back toward Dante. As they neared his head, a sword spun them around in a circle. Gavin gasped, staring at Vergil. Vergil laid the bullets out on the ground in a straight line, leaving them.

"I've had about enough of your foolishness, Gavin!" said Vergil sharply. "Now hand over the Force Edge, or I will kill you!" Vergil laid his hand on Yamato as he spoke.

"Come pry it from my cold, dead hands, you twisted Sparda freak!" Gavin charged Vergil, screaming as he ran.

Vergil sat calmly, waiting for Gavin to near him. As he did, Vergil vanished, reappearing behind Gavin. Gavin stabbed forward, missing Vergil by inches before he teleported. Vergil pulled out Yamato, twirling it and making a quick swipe forward. Gavin stopped, paralyzed, in front of Dante. Vergil slid Yamato into its sheath, clicking the handle. As it clicked, two giant slashes in the shape of an X appeared on Gavin's back and chest, slicing all the way through his body. Blood from the cuts shot out, drenching Dante's coat and hair. The hot, sticky crimson fluid ran off of Rebellion's blade and his face, splashing on the ground.

As Mary entered the doorway, she gasped, dropping her .45. "Gavin!" she screamed, seeing the cuts on his body. She watched in horror as the blood sprayed onto Dante and Rebellion's blade, drenching him. As Gavin hit the ground and lay still, Mary's eyes turned to hate, and she charged up the platform. Dante noticed her first.

"Get out of here, Lady!" he said, shouldering Rebellion. "You'll only get hurt!"

"You're the one who's going to get hurt, you monster!" screamed Mary, firing a rocket at Dante as tears poured down her face.

Dante leapt over the rocket, charging forward. He knocked the Kalina Ann out of Lady's hands, spinning as she swung her fist at him. He punched forward twice, knocking the handguns out of her hands, and tripped her up, kneeling close to her with a hand on her throat.

"Leave!" he hissed. "I can't protect you from Vergil any longer. Pretend to give in, and go, before he kills you!"

"No!" whispered Mary harshly. "I won't leave when I can kill him!"

Dante looked at her, sighing. "You can't beat him! He's too powerful, almost even for me! He will slaughter you! It's good to be brave, but this is foolishness!" Dante took his hand off of her throat, standing.

Vergil looked at Dante quizzically. "Who's this, Dante?" he asked, stepping forward.

"No one," replied Dante, walking forward as well.

"Shut up!" screamed Mary, leaping up and charging Vergil, stabbing forward with the blade of Kalina Ann.

Vergil blocked the blow, easily, and threw Mary to the side. As she hit the floor, he leaped up, slamming downward with the blade of Yamato, meaning to decapitate her. Just as the blow was about to land, Mary closed her eyes. She heard a sharp _ping!_ and looked up to see Dante standing in front of her, blocking Vergil's blade.

"Why do you insist on protecting everyone, Dante?" asked Vergil, straining against him.

"Leave her alone!" screamed Dante, shoving forward and sweeping his foot underneath Vergil, tripping him. Vergil spun on the ground, avoiding Dante's sword stroke. As he leapt to his feet, Vergil crossed swords with Dante, locking the blades. Friction between the two caused them to heat up to intense temperatures, and smoke emanated from the blades. Dante pulled off of the connection, spinning Rebellion and stabbing forward. Vergil knocked the blow aside, hitting Dante with the butt of Yamato. Dante cut at his shoulder as he flew backwards, and succeeded in slicing it. Vergil looked at his torn shoulder, shrugging. Dante flew off of the platform, hitting the wall out of sight. Mary looked onward as Vergil turned toward her, advancing. The blade of Yamato gleamed dangerously in the light of the room. Just as Vergil reached her, a huge blast of white energy hit him square in the chest, propelling him across the room. He hit the wall incredibly fast and hard, slumping to the floor, where he lay still.

Mary looked up to see Dante, the white light of the Beowulf gauntlets gleaming in the dark chamber.

"I told you, Lady!" Dante looked at Mary, walking across the floor towards her.

"Stay away from me!" she cried, leaping to her feet. She ran across the other side of the room, reaching the Kalina Ann. She slid, kicking it into the air, and caught it, spinning deftly to land on her feet.

"Damn it, when are you gonna learn!?" shouted Dante, standing still. "You can't beat him! No matter what you do, who you talk to, what you use, you are never gonna be strong enough to kill him!"

"I don't care!" said Mary, bracing herself for an attack. "He manipulated my father, and then tried to kill him! No monster like that deserves to live!" Mary's eyes glistened, and she wiped them with the back of her hand, leaving a grimy smudge on her cheek.

"Is that what you think?" said a voice, making Dante spin.

"Vergil!" he spat, settling his left foot behind him in a slight crouch.

"That blast was quite impressive, Dante," said Vergil, stepping toward the circle. "However, I feel that you are getting weaker, slowly but surely, over your lifetime."

"Shut up!" Dante said venomously. "You treacherous snake! You manipulated her father, damn near killed her, and on top of all of that crap, tried to take my amulet to open up the portal that our father died closing!"

Vergil's eyes narrowed. He pointed a finger at Dante, wagging it back and forth. "I don't ever want to hear you say that about Sparda ever again, you fool!" he said, walking towards Dante.

"Why, bro?" said Dante. "Is it 'cause you can't bear the truth, or you idolize father and his infinite power so much that you wish to be just like him?" Dante grinned. "That's what you always used to say, bro. 'Daddy! I wanna be just wike you when I gwow up!' Isn't that right, Vergil?" Dante mimicked his brother's voice with an annoying edge to it, and Vergil's eyes turned to hate.

"I will show you ultimate power, so you can see what I have attained!" Vergil's entire body began to glow a dark blue, and lightning licked across it. The lightning became even more intense, licking out to touch the walls, as Vergil stepped toward Dante.

Dante backed up a few steps, and Vergil charged, blindingly fast. Before Dante could even blink, he uppercutted Dante into the air, teleporting above him to slam both of his fists into Dante's chest. Dante hit the ground, gasping for breath as he coughed, spraying blood onto his chest. Vergil hit the ground lithely, the red light in his eyes wavering back to normal. "Do you see, brother?!" he cackled, raising his hands to the ceiling. "I have more power than you ever could, you insolent fool! This power is a step below father's, and I can even assume my true form!" Vergil went back into Normal Vergil as he spoke.

"What?! You're true form?! What the hell are you talking about, bro!?" Dante rose from the ground, gritting his teeth as he stood.

Vergil began to glow again, and the lightning resumed its chaotic reign around the room. Just as Dante felt a huge flare of power, Vergil's body began to shift, suddenly changing. The pale skin, white hair and characteristic Yamato blade were replaced by downward curved horns, green armor with purple energy lines running through it, and a massive sword made of the same material as the armor. Vergil summoned a wave of dark energy, flaring it around his sword, where it glew like an ethereal corona.

Dante gasped, falling backward. "You…you…" he began. "Ne-Nelo…Angelo?!"

Vergil laughed. "That's right, brother!" His deep, sinister voice sent a shudder throughout Mary's body as she sat on the edge of the circle.

Nelo Angelo spun his blade around, raising it towards the ceiling. Blue lightning shattered the windows and knocked loose rock fragments from the ceiling to the floor, where they crashed, spewing gray dust. Just as he finished the lightning powering of his sword, he gasped as a short silver blade pierced his backside and came through his front. Dante and Mary stood, realizing who it was. Glowing in a fierce golden aura, Gavin held the Force Edge in his hand, driving it even further into Nelo's body. As Gavin ripped the Force Edge out of Nelo's body, he fell forward, hitting the ground. Gavin spat on Nelo's bloody form, wiping his sword on the edge of Nelo's cloak. "Pity," he said, standing to face Dante.

Out in the hallway of the Temen-Ni-Gru, a lone figure struggled up, blood dripping from his chest wound. Arkham staggered forward, his eyes burning and his chest heaving with every step. His face dripped blood and the occasional glass fragment from the bullet that Mary shot. _Got to keep moving…_ he said to himself. _Have to find a way to open the Temen-Ni-Gru…They are all fighting, and the Prince of Darkness is doing exceptionally well…I can sneak in under their noses, then SURPRISE!!_ His face lightened up as he though of opening the Demon Gate right under their noses. He laughed to himself, held his aching chest, and staggered down the steps toward the portal room.

Dante stood stock still, staring at Nelo's bloody body, and Gavin. Gavin's body seemed to have a weird type of aura emanating from him. _Almost like a…_ Dante's eyes widened as he realized who this man really was.

"Alright, Prince!" said Dante, pointing Rebellion at him. "You'd better give back my father's sword, or I'll be kickin' some serious ass!"

"In your dreams, Devil Boy!" Gavin's cuts on his chest had already healed, showing only pale pink markings where Yamato had cut.

"How did you get here from Hell?!" demanded Dante. "Did you sneak out when father closed the way? Or did you have someone transport you here!? You're the Prince of Darkness!" Dante's teeth gritted as he spat the last few words.

Gavin clapped his hands, walking in a slow circle around Dante. "Bravo, bravo! You found me out, but that still doesn't change the fact that I have come to kill you both, and take the Force Edge back to its true owner, my father!"

Dante paled. "Lucifer doesn't need that sword! He'll only destroy the human world with that, and that will complicate things even further!"

Gavin laughed. "Melodramatic as always, Dante! There's no time for subtleties, let's just call him the Devil!"

Dante's body began to glow with dark crimson energy. "Let's finish this, Prince!"

Gavin's body was still glowing with golden energy, and then he began to change, just as Nelo Angelo had. "Prepare for ultimate chaos and destruction, Dante! Blood will rain from the skies in a crimson wave, washing away all of the sin and evil! Justice and truth shall prevail!"

Dante waved a hand at Gavin. "Justice and truth my ass, you pompous idiot! Did you forget that the Demon World cannot exist without the Human World? If your father destroys this planet, they get trapped back into the rift forever!"

Gavin smiled. "My father is brilliant, Dante! He will find a way around this!"

Dante looked at Gavin. "Gavin, don't do this! This is foolishness, and we both know it! Just swallow your pride and stop trying to accomplish this, because you will never defeat either of us!"

Gavin's body had finished changing, and his golden-red Devil Armor shone in the light as his Devil Trigger awakened. His eyes lit up with a dangerous light, and he grinned. "Finally, my Devil Trigger has awakened!" He spread his limbs in an X-pose and roared, flaring his power. A giant wave rushed throughout the room, chunks of rock dislodging from the ceiling.

Dante noticed Mary for the first time since the fight, sneaking up behind Gavin. "No!" he screamed.

Gavin stared at Dante, quizzically, and then turned. He looked at Mary, standing there with her .44 pointed at his head.

"Don't move, Gavin! I won't hesitate to kill you!" Mary's eyes glistened, and then she pulled the trigger six times.

The bullets pinged harmlessly off of Gavin's Devil Armor. Gavin rushed forward, grabbing the Kalina Ann off of Mary's back. He flipped behind her, stabbing forward.

"No! Mary!" Dante screamed out as he saw the blade of Kalina Ann pierce Mary's chest.

Mary gasped, feeling the hot, sticky fluid run down the blade and onto her legs and feet. Gavin pulled the blade out, and she cried out, falling forward. Dante rushed forward, so fast that Gavin could not tell he moved, and used the power of his Quicksilver to stop time. He then pulled his Beowulf gauntlet back, charging for a mighty punch. Gavin's eyes only had time to blink within the time-lag, and then the full force of Dante's mighty uppercut slammed into his chin, shattering his jaw. Gavin flew upward from the force of it, dropping the Force Edge and slamming ten stories up into the building. He grunted as he hit solid floor ten stories up, and then all went black.

Dante cried out again, grabbing Mary as she fell. He pulled her close to him, whispering her name softly. "Mary…Mary…Mary…" He pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, rocking her back and forth, still whispering her name.

"Ungh…" Mary's eyes flicked open, then shut again. As she struggled to keep them open, she recognized the ground rushing up at her. Just before she made contact, she felt a pair of strong hands seize her and hold her close. Someone was whispering her name, softly, and pulled a lock of hair behind her ear, still whispering her name, rocking her back and forth.

"Mary…" Dante whispered her name again, staring at her face. It was strangely calm, no traces of pain or agony on it. She looked peaceful, almost as if she was sleeping. Then her eyes snapped open, and she called, "Dante!"

Dante stared at her, his eyes wide in shock, and then pulled her close to him in a hug. He gripped her shoulders, then pulled back as she gasped in pain.

"Mary! Are you alright!" Dante held her steady as she rocked around, convulsing. She stilled, suddenly, and looked at him. "Dante…" she began, a thin trickle of blood running from the corner of her mouth. "You have to stop…Gavin…" she coughed, her chest burning, and took a deep breath.

Dante stared at her face, and then a single tear meandered its way down his cheek, falling off to splash on her face. She blinked, then smiled. "Are you crying?" she asked.

"No, of course not." he replied, smiling back. "Don't ya know? Devils never cry."

Mary smiled, then her eyes widened, her chest constricting. She stayed that way for a few minutes, and then laid still, her eyes clouding. She clasped Dante's hand in hers, tears running down her face.

"Goodbye, Dante," she said, her head lolling to his side.

"Mary? Mary…no!" Dante stared at her in his arms, and then pressed her close to his chest, screaming at the ceiling. His cries of pain and horror reached Arkham, who shivered, and awoke Nelo Angelo, who was unconscious.

Dante's whole body began to shake, and glow with crimson energy. He set Mary down, gently, and then strode toward Nelo, who was now standing, healed. "Give me the amulet, Nelo!"

Nelo stood there, laughing. "Well, well, well, brother," he said. "Aren't we cocky today? And the answer is no!"

Dante charged at Nelo, punching him. Nelo flew backwards into the wall, and Dante grabbed the amulet, snapping it off of the chain.

"Agh!" cried Nelo as he hit the wall. He tried to get out of the wall, but Dante turned around, shooting off energy circles that bound him to the wall. "What the hell…release me, infidel!" Nelo twisted and squirmed, but to no avail.

Dante knelt down, picking up Mary's ashen frame and the Force Edge. He then leapt upwards, flipping three times before landing on a small ledge near the top of the room. He set Mary down, then launched forward with the Beowulf, blasting a massive hole in the wall. He picked Mary up again and then raced outside, towards the garden at the edge of the Temen-Ni-Gru.

"Mary…hold on!" Dante muttered to himself as he flew forward, gripping her frail body in his arms. As he neared the grassy edge of the garden, he jumped towards the center, setting Mary on the ground. He slung the Force Edge off of his back, stabbing it into the ground next to Mary. He took the amulet off of his neck, and held it close to Nelo's. The two amulets began to spin together, forming one single amulet, gold on one side and silver on the other. Dante held them next to the Force Edge, holding his breath.

The amulets spun around the Force Edge, and then violently split, ricocheting around the air and tracing flaming circles around Dante. He held the Force Edge in the air, and the amulets spun toward it, slamming onto the sword, one per side. The Force Edge began to glow crimson, the hilt of the blade turning a dark golden color. The blade was transformed into a much longer form, rounded at the edge, held together at the hilt and pommel of the sword, forming a small hand guard. The rest of the blade was half silver, the other half dark red and crimson like the fires of hell. Living tissue etched across the blade, creating a hellishly real dark illusion with a single red eye in the middle of the blade.

Dante gripped the Force Edge, slipping his fingers into the hand guard, and pulling the sword out with a flourish. He swung the blade around his head in three circles, jabbing forward. The blade extended from the hand guard at least five feet, slamming forward with such force that the air seemed to split. Dante swung the sword backwards, twirling it in his arms, and the blade transformed into an extremely razor-sharp axe, the living tissue acting as an extension once again. The sword snapped back to its originally changed form, and Dante grinned. The Force Edge had become the Legendary Dark Knight's true weapon, Sparda.

Nelo struggled against the energy circles Dante had bound him with against the wall, twisting and squirming in an attempt to free himself.

"Damn it!" he swore.

Just then, the door to the center chamber of the Temen-Ni-Gru opened, and then shut with a slam. The large boom echoed throughout the hollow chamber.

"Who's there?!" called Nelo, staring ahead into the shadows.

"It is I, Nelo," said a sinister voice. Vergil gasped as he recognized it.

"A-Ar-Arkham?!" said Nelo incredulously. "How-How did you manage to survive the explosion that Gavin had caused?!"

"Ah, Gavin." Arkham's eyes narrowed. "That intolerable swine. The instructions I gave him were precise and to the point, and now my discipline shall be swift and just."

Nelo's eyes widened. "You can control…him?!"

Arkham smiled. "Yes, Nelo, I can control him. And I believe that I may release you from those energy bindings now, so you can finish your mission. But instead of killing Dante, I want you to bring him and Gavin to me alive…how close to dead they are I do not care, as long as their souls still burn brightly…" Arkham strode toward Nelo, holding out his hand.

Nelo gasped as the energy circles binding him became clear, and then disappeared. He fell down the ten feet from the wall, landing deftly on his feet. He transformed back into Vergil, straightening his crown of frost-white hair to its original appearance.

"Thank you, Arkham," he said, holding Yamato and striding toward the door.

"Much obliged, Master," said Arkham, twisting around to walk the opposite way.

Vergil stopped halfway to the hole that Dante busted in the wall. "Oh Arkham?" he said, turning to face him. "What of the girl?"

Arkham's face tightened, and a single tear rolled down his face. He brushed it away quickly, so that Vergil did not see it. "Kill her," he said, vanishing into the shadows.

Vergil stared after Arkham for a moment, pondering. _Just what the hell is this Mary girl so special to Arkham for? I guess I'll just have to make him tell me…the hard way…_ Vergil smiled and vaulted toward the hole that Dante made, landing on the ledge. He sprinted forward, following the trail of Dante's power, and stopped, silently stalking to the edge of the lip of the courtyard. He saw Mary's body lying on the grass, the hole healed up on her chest. _That's odd…_ he thought. _Where the hell is…oh shit…_ Vergil looked up, rolling just in time to avoid the stab of a sword right next to his eyes.

Gavin opened his eyes, groaning. He made to move his mouth, and then the splinters of bone from his shattered jaw stabbed into his bottom lip, and he cried out in pain. He rolled over, standing up with a grunt. Gavin flared into his Devil Trigger, focusing his power on his jaw. His whole body went numb as his bones began to knit themselves back together, muscle and blood returning where they should be. Gavin's face was just as it normally should be, and he stared into the mirror on the wall, smiling.

"Good as new, Son," said a sinister voice within the mirror, and Gavin looked into it, seeing three eyes grouped together in a triad. He gasped out, crying, "Father!?"

Gavin's eyes widened incredulously as the full-blown body of Satan stepped out before him. The red, fleshy horns and the muscled, sinewy body stood out in the bland and drab room. His father roared, shaking the windows and rattling the mirror from which he arose. He conjured a flaming trident, holding it in his hand and standing, fully formed, before Gavin.

"My son," he began, stepping forward. "We have much to talk about."

Vergil rolled to his feet, staring at his brother. Dante's eyes were glowing an unusual shade of crimson, and bits and pieces of his clothing had already transformed into Devil Armor.

"What the hell happened to you?" asked Vergil, stepping back.

"Why is the Prince of Darkness here, Vergil!?" said Dante, stepping toward him.

Vergil opened his mouth to argue, but then his eyes darted to the sword on Dante's back, and he gasped.

"Is that…?" he began, his eyes wide and his mouth forming a perfect O.

"Yeah, it's Sparda," said Dante, pulling the legendary sword off of his back. The golden hilt shone in the pale light of the setting sun, casting shadows on the garden.

"How…what the hell are you doing with that thing, anyways?" Vergil set his hand on the hilt of Yamato, sliding the sword out just an inch.

"It's mine, bro," said Dante, spinning Sparda around and setting it on his shoulder. "All you've ever wanted is power, power, and more power. So I'm claiming this as the one thing that you haven't tried to fuck up in my life!"

"You've got some nerve, Dante," said Vergil, spinning to face the courtyard. The wind blew across his hair and cooled his forehead. Vergil arched an eyebrow as he stared at the blood spot in the center of the courtyard. "Where is the girl?" he asked, spinning to look at Dante.

"None of your damn business, that's where she is!" Dante grinned at Vergil, stabbing Sparda into the ground. "She's in a place where neither you nor her crazy ass dad can do her any harm!"

Vergil narrowed his eyes. "I have an objective to fulfill, brother," he stepped toward Dante as he spoke, drawing Yamato. He charged Dante, knocking him backwards. Dante kicked at Vergil, spinning as he hit the ground, leveling himself out. Vergil tripped him up, slamming forward into Dante's chest. Dante flew backwards, slamming into the wall. Vergil shot forward, stabbing through Dante and into the brick wall.

"Now you're stuck!" Vergil laughed as he spoke. "Don't you think it would be unwise," he said, stabbing the sword deeper, "to refuse a brother's heartfelt request?"

Dante spit in Vergil's face. "To hell with your requests!" Vergil wiped his eyes off, glaring at Dante, and then was blown back as Dante flared into Devil Trigger. His Devil Armor took on the aspects of the Legendary Dark Knight, Sparda, and his whole body crackled with red lightning.

"You have an ultimate form as well, I see," said Vergil, flaring into Nelo Angelo.

"Yeah, I guess you could call it that," said Dante, ripping Yamato from his body and snapping it in half.

Nelo's eyes narrowed as he charged Dante, stabbing upward with his sword. Dante parried with Sparda, jabbing forward. The blade extended, and Nelo turned his blade sideways, catching Sparda in the center of his sword. Nelo threw forwards, knocking Dante back.

"Let's finish this, once and for all, Nelo!" said Dante, grinning and raising his power another notch.

"Agreed, brother!" said Nelo, doing the same. The crimson and dark blue hues of their power crackled around the courtyard, lightning running across the ground. Trees and grass in the way of their power were wilted and burned instantaneously, and chunks of the courtyard were hurtled up into space.

_My god…_ from her position on the rooftop, Mary watched Dante and Nelo Angelo's power ripping apart the landscape around them. Her aching chest throbbed, and she put a hand to it. Bracing herself, she leapt off of the rooftop, her hands on Kalina Ann, soaring down towards the chaotic battle for the fate of the Human and Demon Worlds.

Gavin stood alone in the chamber, thinking. His father paced before him, flames licking the walls and scorching them.

"Why have you not secured the Force Edge, Gavin?" Lucifer turned toward his son, drumming his foot on the floor.

"That…demon scum…Dante hit me with some kind of punch, shattered my jaw. I guess that I dropped the Force Edge on my way up here, and then passed out. When I woke up, I healed my jaw, and then you popped up." Gavin stood sheepishly, holding one arm at his side, as if injured.

Lucifer frowned. "Well then, perhaps you've grown weaker since your trip into the Human World."

Gavin's arms tightened, and he clenched and unclenched his hands at his sides. "I am not as weak as you think I am, Father!"

Lucifer stopped pacing. Standing before Gavin, his arm snapped out, pinning him to the wall and knocking the breath out of him.

"Do not toy with me, boy!" Lucifer spat, tightening his grip. Gavin struggled against the massive red arm pinning him to the wall.

"Let me go, Father!" Gavin yelled, his face turning red. Cords in his neck stood out as he strained and struggled in his father's grasp.

"Your childish anger has no place here, fool!" Lucifer said. "I brought you here, and I can dismiss you as quickly as this!" Lucifer snapped his fingers, and the floor in the center of the room began to glow orange and red. A hole appeared in the middle of the glowing area, and suddenly, a huge column of flame shot up, stopping at the ceiling. Inside of the flaming pillar, screams and groans echoed out. Gavin gasped as an arm reached out, and then he made out the impressions of at least a thousand souls and people, all thrashing and screaming for freedom.

"Do you see what I can send you back as, Beelzebub?!" Gavin winced at the mention of his real name.

Lucifer spun around, pointing his arm toward the column of flame. He gripped the back of Gavin's head with his massive hand, pushing his face a mere six inches from the twisting, roiling cosmic flare. Gavin looked on in horror as he made out the faces and skeletal limbs of the people writhing and squirming within the superheated mass. An arm reached out toward him, and he winced, trying to move away, but Lucifer held him fast. The red-hot limb lit up the room, casting a scary illusion on the wall.

Gavin screamed out in pain and terror as the limb made contact with his skin, just grazing it and leaving a jagged burn mark. He screamed aloud again as the arm stretched the hand out, wrapping it around his face. The acrid smell of burnt hair and flesh filled the air, and Gavin pinwheeled his arms, flailing.

Lucifer laughed. "I trust you will not be so insolent now, Beelzebub?" He released Gavin, and he fell to the floor, gasping. Lucifer snapped his fingers, and the pillar of fiery hell descended to the depths from which it came.

"Please…no…more…Father!" Gavin's cry of desperation echoed forlornly in the small room, his scarred and blackened face already healing.


End file.
